18 January

Dear Friends,

On Thursday evening at our Taizé service, I was once again reminded of the importance of Christian unity through the prayers prepared by our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters at the Begijnhofkapel: 

“God our Father, accept our praise and thanksgiving for what unites Christians in the confession of and witness to Jesus the Lord.

Hasten the hour when all churches will recognize each other in the one communion you willed and for which your Son prayed to you in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Hear us, you who live and reign now and forever.

Amen.”

The service marked the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity—a week in which, as the World Council of Churches states, we are “praying for togetherness to a God of togetherness.” This year, we also celebrate the Nicene Creed, which was written 1,700 years ago by Christians hoping to articulate their shared faith in Jesus Christ. However impressive all of this may seem, it felt quite humble where we stood on Thursday evening— in a small group, singing off-key, sipping orange juice and Coca-Cola, and connecting as best we could while taking each other’s prayers seriously by singing Kyrie Eleison, “Lord, have mercy.”

Despite how small, insignificant, or even impossible these gatherings for the sake of unity may appear, I was reminded of their kingdom importance when I stepped outside and saw the grave of the Catholic beguine Cornelia Arens. Many of us are familiar with her act of defiance when, in 1654, she refused to be buried in the English Church to which her family had turned during those dark days of Christian enmity. Instead, she chose the gutter.

May we hold on to one another, discover the beauty of our diversity, and meet as often as we can, lest one of our sisters or brothers find themselves in the gutter again.

Marius Louw